Container



May 7,l 1940- .1.l H. HoRsLEY V2,199,664

. CONTAINER i Filed Aug. 29, 195s .HTI

Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT'TOFFlC-E James H. Horsley, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 29, 1938, Serial No. 227,346

' 13 Claims.

' Y.' 'This invention relates generally to a container,

and more particularly, to a novel and improved construction of cigarette container having a pair of compartments so mounted as to permit the opening and closing of the same by the manipulation of a simple mechanism, the same mechanism being eifective when turned in one direction to move the compartments into open position, and when turned in the opposite direction to move said compartments into closed position, said mechanism also being effective for maintaining said compartments in any position to which they had been moved. It is an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved construction of cigarette container comprising a pair of cigarette holding compartments, and a simple manipulable means adapted for moving said compartments to either open or closed position, and to retain said compartments in either of said positions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a container of the character described, comprising a pair of cigarette containing compartments pivotally secured adjacent the lower ends to a substantially rectangular frame, in such a manner that the weight of said compartments will normally urge the same to open position, and a simple manipulable means including a rotatable cam for moving said compartments to closed position and for retaining the same in said position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cigarette container of the character described including a pair of cigarette holding compartments pivotally secured adjacent. the lower ends to a vertical frame, the pivoting means being so disposed as to normally urge said compartments to open position, and a simple manipulable means carried by said frame, effective for moving said compartments to closed position and to retain them in such position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable shaft and a cam secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, said cam being arranged with relation to the lower portions of said compartments so that when in one position it will be effective for holding the compartments in closed position, and when in another position will be effective to permit said compartments to move to open position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container of the character described comprising onlyla few and simple parts, which may be readily assembled along lines convenient for low-cost manufacture, and which will, at the same time, be highly eflicient forA carrying I the purposes for which it is designed.

- With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. y

For the `purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in` the accompanying drawing, a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when ,considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction,vassembly and operation, and many of its advane tages should be readily understood and appreciated. k

Referring to the drawing in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of a cigarette container constructed in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the same; with the parts thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3--3 of Fig. l with the cigarette holding compartments shown in open position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along line 4--4 of Fig. l; f

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View taken along o line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Referring tothe drawing more specically by characters of reference, the numeral vIl] designates plate members which will form a pair of supporting feet for the container, said plate members having provided on their under surfaces sheets of felt Il, or the like, for preventing the surface upon which the device rests from becoming marred or scratched. Secured to thesaid feet l0 is a base plate I2, to which plate;is secured a substantially rectangular frame i3, said frame being formed by bending a strip or bar of metal, with the free ends thereof being brought into substantially contacting position at the base of the rectangle, as shown at I4 in Fig. 1; The iframe I3 is` secured to the base plate L2 in any suitable and well-known manner, such, for example, as by means of the screws I5.

The frame I3 is arranged on the base I2 in a substantially vertical or upstanding position, in which position it will present the side walls I3 and the top wall I3, the latter having secured thereto along its full length a cover strip I1 provided with the overhanging longitudinal side portions I8 for a purpose to be presently more fully described. The cover strip I1 may be suitably ornamented or plated to give to the device a highly ornamental appearance.

Pivotally mounted within the rectangular frame i3 are a pair of cigarette holding containers generally designated by the reference characters 20, said containers being formed of sheet metal which may be suitably plated to present a highly attractive and ornamentalI appearance; and being of substantiallyidentical construction. Each of said containersI is provided with a plate portion 2| of substantially rectangular shape and vertically disposed when the device is in closed position. Formed integral with said wall 2| is the bottom wall 22 and the upstanding side walls 23, the depth of said side walls 23 being such as to accommodate a cigarette', as shown at 24, and the heighth of said compartment is also such as to accommodate a cigarette of average length. Said compartments 28 thus formed are open at the top to permit the admission or the extraction of cigarettes therefrom. Each of the compartments 28 is hingedly mounted to the frame I3 by means of the pivot pins 25, which pins are xedly attached adjacent the lower ends of the frame side Walls I 3, said pins passing through suitable openings provided therefor adjacent the lower edges of the side walls 23, said openings being eccentrically displaced from the center of gravity of the compartments 2Q so that when said compartments are unsupported they will tend to swing outwardly away from the frame I3 due to their own weight.

Extending through the frame I3 and rotatably mounted therein is a shaft 26, said shaft being of substantially squared cross-section, and to that portion of the shaft extending above the cover member I1 is xedly secured a key member or operating handle`21.

Disposed between the key 21 and the cover plate I1 is a bead 28 of suitable material, which bead will present a bearing surface for the key 21 to thereby protect the cover plate I1 from being scratched by the rotative motion of the key 21.

The lower portion of the shaft ZBeXtends/beyond the bottom wall of the frame I3 as well as the plate member I2, said lower portion being formed in substantially circular formation and being screw-threaded, as shown at 29, for receiving in threaded engagement thenut 30, which nut is received in a suitable opening 3I provided therefor in the plate member I2 and is adapted to bear against the under surface of the bottom Wall I4 of the frame I3. The nut 3E) may be xedly secured to the shaft 26, whereby said nut Will rotate with the shaft.

'I'hat portion of the shaft extending directly above the bottom wall I4 of the frame I3 has mounted thereon a cam 32, which cam is provided with a square opening, to which the shaft 26 extends whereby rotation ofl theshaft 23 will cause corresponding rotation of the cam 32. The cam 32 is formed from a` semi-cylindrical yrod and is substantially perpendicularly disposed with respect to the shaft 21 with-the flattened side of the semi-cylinder bearing upon the upper surface of the bottom wall Ill of the frame I3, as shown more clearly in Figs. l and 3.

The ends of the cam 32 are inclined upwardly from ltheir central portion, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, so that the ends thereof are caused to slidably engage the bottom Walls 22 of the containers 20 to hold the same in a substantially closed or vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2.

Disposed upon the shaft 26, between the top wall I3 of the frame i 3, and the upper surface of the cam 32, is a cylindrical sleeve 33, which sleeve may be chromium-plated and will present a more attractive and nished appearance to the interior of the device. As shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the bottom walls 22 or the containers 26 are cut away, as shown at 36, to permit the passage of the bottom edge of the sleeve 33 therethrough.

From the above, it will be noted that when the cam 32 is in the positionshown in Figs. 2 and 4, said cam will be eiective for holding the compartments 20 in a substantially vertical or closed position, the inward movement of vsaid compartments being limited by pins 35 iixedlyattached to the inner surface of the side walls I3 of the frame I3 adjacent their upper ends.

When the key 21 is actuated to move the cam to the position shown in Fig. 3, the compartments 23 will assume the open position shown in said figure, the downward movement of said-compartments being limited by the engagement of the bottom walls 22 thereof with the side walls of the cam 32, which position will permit the withdrawal of cigarettes from the compartments 20. Actuation of the key 21 in the opposite direction will cause the cam to assume the position shown in Fig. 2, moving said compartments to either closed position shown in that figure, in which position it will be noted that the overhanging side portions I8 of the cover member l1 will extend over the open ends of the compartments 20 to present to the device a completely closed appearance.

Disposed within each of the containers 29 intermediate the ends thereof is a transversely disposed strip of resilient metal 36, the free ends of which are bent inwardly and are retained within their respective compartments by means of the tongues 31 punched out of the side walls 23, being received in suitable openings provided therefor in strips 36, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

The strips 36 are crimped intermediate their ends, as shown at 38, to provide clearance for the passage of the sleeve 33, as well as to form a partition for dividing the containers 2li into the cigarette holding compartments 39. 'Ihe strips 36 may be forced in place and held by the tongues 31 by reason of the resilience of the metal from which the strips 33 are formed, and by reason of this assembly, said strips may be disengaged from the tonguesy whenever it is found necessary and desirable to do so. y

'I'he operation of the device should be readily understood from the above description thereof. It will be readily apparent that with the device in the position shown in Fig. 2, a simple turn of the key 21 through an angle of 90 will immediately cause the containers 2i) to assume the position sho-wn in Fig. 3, the weight of said compartments causing them to drop outwardly, rotating about the eccentrically placed.v pins 25. Similarly, a tur-n in the opposite direction of approximately will impart a corresponding support, a

movement to the cam 32, which movement will be effective vfor moving said compartments to their .closed position and to be held in such position until the key 21 is again actuated by the operator. From the above it will be noted that I have provided a device which may be readily assembled, and when once assembled will by the simple 'manipulation of the operator cause the cigarette holding compartments to assume either an open or closed position. It will also be noted that the arrangement of the parts is such as to lend itself to the production of a highly attractive device -and one which will be useful and easily operable. It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages Should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide ,variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1 In a device of the character described, a support, a container mounted on said support and adap-ted for swinging movement towards and away from said support, said container being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, and means including a rotatable cam arranged for cooperation with a side of said container for moving said container from either of the positions that it may be in to its other position.

2. In a device of the character described, a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement towards and away from said support,` said container being in closed position when swung towards the support 'and `in open position when swung away from said support, and means effective upon a simple manipulation for moving said container from either of the positions that it may be in to its other position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable shaft, an element mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and arranged for cooperation with a side of said container for bringing about the desired movement of said container.

3. In a device of the character described, a support, a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement towards and away from said support, said container being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, and means effective upon a simple manipulation for moving said container from either of the positions that it may be in to its other position, said last-mentioned means including a shaft rotatably mounted in said support, an element carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, said element being arranged for cooperation with a side of said container for bringing about the desired movement of said container, and means for actuating said shaft.

4. In a device of the character described, a support, a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement towards and away from said support, said container being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, and means effective upon a simple manip-ulation for moving said container from either of the positions that it may be in to its other position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatablecam arranged for cooperation with a vside of said container whereby movement of said cam element in one direction will move said container to closed position, and movement of said cam element in the opposite direction will permit movement of said containerlto open position.

5. In a device of the character described, a support, `a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging vmovement towards and awayffrom said support, saidcontainer being in closed position when swung towards the support andv in open position when swung away from said support, means effective upon a simple manipulation for moving said container from either of the positions that it may be in to its other position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable cam arrangedl for cooperation with a side of said container whereby movement of said cam element in one direction willmove said container to closed position and movement of said cam element in the opposite direction will permit movement of said container to open position, andl means for actuating said cam.

6. In a device of the character described, a support, a pair of containers mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement towards and away from said support, said containers being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, and means effec- -tive uponv a simple manipulation .for simultaneously moving said containers from either of the positions that they may be in to their other positions, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable cam element arranged for cooperation with sides of said containers for moving the latter to their desired positions,

7. In a device of the character described, `a support, a pair of containers mounted on said support and adapted for' swinging movement towards and away from said support, said containers being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, means effective upon a simple manipulation for simultaneously moving said containers from either of the positions that they may be in to their other positions, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable cam element arranged for cooperation with sides of said containers for moving the latter to their desired positions, and means for actuating said cam element. 8. In a device of the character described, a support, a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement towards and away from said support, said container being so mounted on said support as to be biased away from said support due to its own weight, said container being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, and means effective upon a simple manipulation for moving said container from its open position to its closed position, said same means being also'effective upon a simple manipulation for permitting movement of said container from its closed position to its open position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable shaft mounted in said support, means connected on said shaft for rotation therewith and arranged for cooperation with a portion of said container for bringing about the desired movement of said container upon the actuation of said shaft.

9. In a device of the character described, a support, a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement -towards and away 'from said support, said container being so mounted on said support as to normally swing away from said support due to its own weight, said container being in closed position when swung towards the support and in open vposition when swung away from said support, and mean effective upon a simple manipulation for moving said container from its open position to its closed position, said same means being also effective upon a simple manipulation for permitting movement of said container from its closed position to its open position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable shaft mounted in said support, means connected on said shaft for rotation therewith and arranged for cooperation with a portion of said container for bringing about the desired movement of said container upon the. actuation of said shaft, and means for actuating said shaft.

l0. In a device of the character described, a support, a pair of containers mounted on said support and adapted for swinging movement towards and away from said support, each of said containers being mounted on said support so as to normally swing away from said support due to the weight of said container, said containers being in closed position when swung towards said support, and in open position when swung 'away from said support, and means effective upon a simple manipulation for simultaneously moving said containers from their open positions to their closed positions, said same means being effective upon a simple manipulation for permitting the Weight of said containers to m'ove them to their open positions from their closed positions.

11. In a device of the character described, a

support, a container pivotally connected to said support and being normally biased away from the support, said container being in closed position when disposed Vadjacent the support, and in open position when swung away from said support, and means provided on said support for cooperation with a portion of said container for releasibly locking the latter in a position adjacent the support, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable shaft mounted in the support, a cam mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said cam being arranged in one position to engage a portion of said container for maintaining the latter in a position adjacent the support and when in another position to permit the weight of said container to move it to its open position away from said support.

12. In a device of the character described, a support, a container mounted on said support and adapted for swinging; movement towards and away from said support, said container being in a closed position when swung towards the support and in open position when swung away from said support, and means effective upon a simple manipulation for moving said container from either of the positions that it may be in to its other position, said last-mentioned means including a rotatable cam arranged for cooperation with a portion of said container, whereby movement of said cam element in any direction will move said container to closed position, and further movement of said cam element in any direction will permit movement of said container to open position.

13. In a device of the character described, a support, a plurality of freely swingable containers mounted on said support, said containers adapted to be swung to a closed position, but normally disposed in an open position by reason `of their weight, means for causing said containers to swing to a closed position, said last-mentioned means comprising a ycam member adapted to be moved to contact portions of said containers in one position of said member, forcing said containers to 'a closed position, and said cam member beingadapted to be further moved to a second position not contacting said portions of said containers, thereby allowing said containers to swing to an open position by reason of their Weight, as aforesaid.

JAMES H. HORSLEY. 

